Head Over Heels

created and published by Ocean in 1987, running on ZX Spectrum

type: puzzle, action/reflex, maze
genre: Knight Lore-like
perspective: bird's-eye (axonometric)
player options: single player

languages: eng

4.5/5

Spectrum Computing

WOS

ZX-Art

Personal review

After Knight Lore, there were a hundred isometric 3D arcade adventure puzzle games, but this is undeniably the peak of the genre. It's quite possible that this game represents the peak of the game designer's art full stop, it was monstrously cute and gorgeous-looking. Head Over Heels toyed with the player's emotions as he struggled to join up the two independent heroes, only to have the joy of success cruelly shattered by another problem which could only be solved by splitting them up again. Mind-wrenchingly devious but always tantalisingly solvable, this is so addictive it hurts.

# 2004-05-11 09:17:02

Official description

Head and Heels have been captured, separated and imprisoned in the castle headquarters of Blacktooth. Their cells contain 'keep fit' equipment, including a wall ladder that Head really must learn to climb. Your job is to get them both out of the castle and into the market place so they can join up again. From there, the journey leads to Moonbase Headquarters, where you will have to decide either to try to escape back to Freedom or to be a true hero and teleport to one of the slave planets to search for its lost crown!
To overthrow the dictatorship on any of the slave planets would be a major blow to Blacktooth and you could return to Freedom in glory.
Of course Blacktooth would probably enslave them again eventually but it would slow down any expansion plans for now.
The populace of Blacktooth are so heavily oppressed that they would have to see all four of the slave planets revolt before the Blacktooth crown could cause an uprising.
This of course would be the ultimate accolade, and unfortunately, almost certain suicide.

# 2024-02-03 11:08:54 - official description

Technical specs

hardware: Keyboard, Spectrum 128K enhanced,

display: raster

Authors / Staff

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External reviews (11) - average: 90.3% - median: 90%

review source		issue	date	score
Aktueller Software Markt (ASM) (9+)	de	13	1987-06	9/12	75%	view
C&VG (Computer & Video Games) (085-173)	uk	104	1990-07	93/100	93%	view
Crash	uk	39	1987-04	97/100	97%	view
Crash	uk	79	1990-08	89/100	89%	view
MicroHobby 49-196	es	128	1987-05-12	9/10	90%	view
Sinclair User 38-63	uk	62	1987-05	5/5	100%	view
Sinclair User 76-134	uk	101	1990-07	89/100	89%	view
The Games Machine	uk	33	1990-08	97/100	97%	view
Tilt 39-113	fr	47	1987-11	15/20	75%	view
Your Sinclair 1-40	uk	18	1987-06	9/10	90%	view
Your Sinclair 41-93	uk	56	1990-08	98/100	98%	view